ABSTRACT
In addition to maximum lifting strength, the load a team finds acceptable for prolonged periods of manual materials handling is important. The load acceptable to 95% of the working population has been used to set limits for safe materials handling in industrial settings. The MAWL is defined as the load a person is willing to work with under a given set of task conditions. For example, an individual may be asked to determine the MAWL for an 8-h work day when lifting a box from the floor to a 70-cm high table at the rate of three times per minute. The person is given a box that is either too heavy or too light and asked to perform the defined task for a 20-Min period. The individual then adds
Marilyn A. Sharp*, Diane Pietila* and Valerie J. Berg Rice† *US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Military Performance Division, Kansas St., Bldg. 42, Natick, MA 01760, USA †Army Research Laboratory, HRED AMEDD Field Office, 1750 Greely Road, STE 219, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-5002, USA
or subtracts weight from the box until it is judged acceptable. The load is adjusted by the individual so that they do not become overtired, overheated or out of breath. When working in teams, both team members must agree on the load adjustments and final load.
